A/N: Okay, before you all start throwing things and yelling, I will apologize for keeping you all waiting. Christmas and all its festivities finally caught up with me and I desperately needed a break. And, now that I've gotten one, here's the next chapter. Also, this is just for those who do not remember the characters of Tiri Amberwood or Adrianna Roseleaf. Adrianna was supposed to be Elyse's friend; she was introduced in one of the earlier chapters (Chapter 5). And Tiri is the king's chambermaid; she is bound to Adrianna. And Grien is one of the royal couriers/messengers who is madly in love with Adrianna. Everything clear now? Okay!
Chapter 27
Ziendriel finally had a plan. After many moments of thinking, she had finally figured out a plan for her escape. It had come to her after Adrianna's last visit, which had not been filled any less with taunts and slaps. Adrianna had just finished delivering a head spinning blow to Ziendriel's temple and, with a satisfied smile, had spun on her heel to leave. She had misjudged her location and had stubbed her foot on one of the legs of the table. Ziendriel had not noticed or hear Adrianna's loud curses as she had limped away; her eyes had been fixated on the table.
She did not know why she hadn't noticed it before. After all, she had been in the cave for Valar knows how long and had often stared at the piece of furniture.
The table was made of pure stone.
At first glance in the dim light, she had mistaken it to be a poorly made wooden table with a matching chair. She had thought the rough surface of the tabletop and that of the legs had been due to rotting wood, for Adrianna had told her this cave was centuries old and had not been used in many years.
But after hearing the loud crack as Adrianna's toe had connected with the table leg, Ziendriel knew that it would take a lot more than wood to make that kind of sound. She was sure that if Adrianna's toe was not broken, it had to be badly bruised or even sprained.
And now, peering closer at the table, Ziendriel realized that it was definitely deteriorating. Parts of the table top had been eaten away, as did some chunks of its legs…leaving some areas rough and jagged.
Ziendriel thought for a moment, keeping her eyes on the table, as if turning from it would cause it to disappear. She carefully pushed herself up into a sitting position, wincing at the pain that suddenly burned at her wrists. The ropes had successfully cut into her skin, causing her hands to be caked with dried blood.
Gingerly, she balanced herself on one hip, raising the other slightly above the floor. She tried to slip her bottom and legs through the loop of her arms, but nearly screamed as the skin at her wrists was tugged. She stopped for a moment, feeling the tears spring to her eyes, then tried again.
After the third time, Ziendriel gave up. Her wrists were now bleeding again and the pain was becoming unbearable. "I will have to tell Gragoc that his little trick does not work," she grunted, pushing herself back up into a sitting position. He had been the one to show her the many ways of escaping the confines of rope, but she did not think he took in account the fact of injured wrists. She grimaced at the pain, then looked back to the table. It was just a few feet away and she knew that the distance was all that stood in her way of using those jagged edges to cut through her bonds.
She glanced around the cave, her eyes desperately seeking anything to help her. It was then that her eyes fell upon the walls of the cave. Craning her neck around to see behind her, Ziendriel felt a smile tug at her lips. Carefully, she began to scoot her body towards the wall behind her, until she felt the cold stone against her back. She bent her legs in front of her, firmly planting her feet on the ground.
Using her hands to push herself off the ground, Ziendriel carefully pushed her back firmly against the cave wall by also pushing off of her feet. She grunted as the ropes once again stung her, then waited a moment for the pain to subside. When it had done so, she once again used her hands to push her body away from the wall, straightening her knees just a bit as she did so. With the help of gravity, she felt her body begin to fall back towards the wall and caught herself with her hands to lessen the impact on her back. She muffled her cry as she the smooth wall of the cave caught her wrists. She again pushed herself off of the wall, straightening her knees, catching herself against the wall.
Ziendriel continued these actions until she had pushed and scooted herself into a semi standing position. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, then gently pushed away from the wall. She teetered for a moment on her bound feet, working to regain her balance. When she was finally able to stand upright, she took a small hop forward. She stopped to check her balance, then took another hop. Then another. And another. And another.
Finally, Ziendriel found herself next to the table, a small smile of delight upon her face. It was the first real smile she had felt in days and her cheeks ached from it. Taking small, quarter turn hops, she felt the corner of the table stab her backside. Bending down a bit, she ran her fingers over the rough surface of the table leg until she found a particular jagged area for her use.
Moving her bounds over the area, Ziendriel tried to ignore the sheer pain that ran through her arms whenever her wounds came into contact with the rough surface. She could feel her blood running over the ropes and down to her fingers and prayed that her attempts would work.
After moments of excruciating pain, Ziendriel stopped for a moment. She held her breath as she gingerly tried out her bounds. At first, she did not feel any slack and felt her heart drop. She sighed in defeat and fell back against the table, forgetting about its corner. As it jabbed her in her backside, she gave a little yelp and jerked her arms.
The ropes loosened against her wrists as she jerked, causing her eyes to go wide with surprise. She tentatively wiggled her wrists, not sure she could believe it. She gasped when she once again felt the ropes loose against her skin, then grunted when acknowledged the pain.
Working quickly, Ziendriel loosened the ropes enough that she was able to slip them off her wrists. She allowed the rope to fall to the ground and brought her wrists forward to inspect them. She flinched at the sight of her torn and bleeding flesh, examining the red, angry welts. The Healers would definitely have a time with these and she did not look forward to the treatment.
If I ever get out of here, she thought, glancing towards the corridor. The torch was almost burnt down to nothing and causing an even longer shadow down the dark passageway. She had overcome one obstacle and now faced another, even bigger than the first.
She bent down to work on the ropes on her feet when she heard the voices coming. They were still far off, but Ziendriel could tell that they were angry. She quickly picked up the discarded rope on the ground and straightened up. She began to hop quickly to her bed of straw and was just settling back into a comfortable reclining position against the wall, when Adrianna rounded the corner.
Swiftly, Ziendriel slipped her hands behind her back, hoping to convince her captor that she was still tied.
Adrianna stopped short of where she sat, a sneer curling her lips. She stared at her prisoner for a moment, then announced, "You have caused me much pain and sorrow, Ziendriel Yalith. Much trouble."
Ziendriel fidgeted for a moment, allowing her eyes to fall on the figure behind Adrianna. "Who is that?" she asked, her eyes straining in the dim light.
"That is none of your concern!" Adrianna snapped, stepping forward, "What you should be concerned with is what I am planning to do to you…with this!" She produced a long, white-handled dagger that bounced the dim light off of its gleaming metal.
Ziendriel gasped, her eyes wide. She looked first to the knife, then to her tormentor. "You mean to go through with it then?" she asked, trembling slightly.
Adrianna growled. "Of course, you idiot!" she exclaimed, "Do you really believe that I would have revealed myself to you if I hadn't?" She took another step towards her, causing Ziendriel to shrink against the wall.
"Mistress!" the silent figure suddenly cried, rushing forward and grabbing Adrianna's arm.
"What?!" the lady yelled, whirling around.
"You did not say that you meant to kill Lady Yalith!" It was definitely a feminine voice, laced with fear. "Had I known I would have refused to do this!" she added.
Adrianna laughed bitterly. "And had I known you were but a coward," she taunted, "I would not have asked you to assist me!" She violently shrugged the other's grasp on her.
"Mistress, you must not do this!" the girl tried again, lunging forward to grab her arm. In the process her hood fell back, revealing the king's chambermaid.
"Tiri?!" Ziendriel exclaimed, surprised. She had always thought of the young servant as a sweet and kind girl; what was her part in all of this?
Adrianna let out a scream of frustration. "You fool!" she screamed at the startled maidservant, "Now I must kill her or she will reveal your secrets, too!" She pushed the girl away and made her way to Ziendriel. The light in her eyes had taken on a maniacal glint, causing the captive noble lady's heart to speed up in her chest.
"Mistress!" Tiri cried, once more grabbing her, "Do not kill her! Her abduction is the only thing held over you! Do not allow murder to be added to your conscience!" She struggled mightily with her mistress before adding, "Nothing she has done warrants her death!"
Adrianna froze for a moment, her eyes wide with shock. She stood there, stunned, staring at her servant. "Nothing?" she repeated, after a long stretch of silence, "Nothing?" Her voice had dropped low, taking on a dangerous edge. "Everything she has done has warranted her death!" she hissed, gesturing wildly with her dagger, "Do you not understand? Since our younger years, Ziendriel has always tormented me!" She laughed then, the laughter of a crazed person, her head thrown back. She turned towards her captive and smirked. "I bet you did not know, did you, Ziendriel?" she asked, mockingly, "No, you were always so interested in your books to care about the world around you! You might not have been beautiful then, but everyone always wanted to play with you! Even when you refused their invitations time and again, they would always flock to you. Always wanted to play with you, share their toys, their snacks!" She stopped for a moment, a grimace crossing her face as she remembered. "And me? I never was asked! Not once! Not once, while you sat there, trying to read your filthy book, refusing! Oh, how I cried! But, not anymore!"
Ziendriel managed to roll out of the dagger's path, just as Adrianna brought it down at her. She heard Tiri scream, but did not dwell on it as she saw Adrianna once again swing her blade towards her. Ziendriel rolled away again, then quickly pushed herself to her feet.
This stopped Adrianna for a moment, as she stared at her. "How…?" she stammered, watching as Ziendriel, taking advantage of the lapse, worked furiously at her bonds. Her eyes widened in realization and the crazed light returned. "No matter!" she growled, "You will be dead before too long!" She lunged at her.
Ziendriel skirted out of her grasp and took advantage of the action by curling both hands into fists and bring them down hard on Adrianna's back. The other girl grunted as she fell to the ground.
Tiri screamed again, taking in the sight before her. She watched as her mistress quickly got to her feet, staring hard at the other she-Elf. The light in her eyes had disappeared, replaced with an emptiness that made Tiri's blood run cold. The eyes of her mistress were no longer seeing nor understanding. They were, in fact, glazed and misty, allowing no logic or rational thought to penetrate through. As she watched her mistress once again go after Lady Yalith, Tiri knew for certain that Lady Roseleaf truly meant to kill Ziendriel.
I must do something! The chambermaid thought frantically, her feet frozen to the floor. She continued to watch as the dagger finally found Ziendriel's skin, slashing down on her forearm.
Ziendriel cried out, her hand immediately pressing her wound. She stumbled away from Adrianna, her heart pounding painfully against her chest. She ducked as the blade was swung at her head and rolled under the table to the other side. Within the few moments that it took Adrianna to circle the table, Ziendriel had loosened the ropes around her ankles and stood up.
Adrianna rounded the corner, her eyes nor actions no longer her own. "Die, Ziendriel!" she screamed, running towards her. She held the blade high above her head as she charged.
Tiri stared in horror at the sight before her. Then, as if in slow motion, she turned on her heel and ran down the long corridor. She pushed open the secret entrance way to the underground cave, allowing the blinding sunlight to fall momentarily at its mouth. She climbed out, then took off running into the forest, hearing the door automatically shut behind her.
I have to find the prince! She thought, running as fast as her feet would allow.
Legolas stalked through the halls of the palace, his frown deepening on his handsome face with each passing moment. All who stood in the hall jumped out of his path, eager to escape his scowl. They watched him stalk through the hallway, finally turning towards his bedchambers.
He glanced around the room and upon not finding whom or what he wanted, yelled, "DEPA!" He waited a moment, hearing his call echo through the halls, and slightly winced at the sound.
Nearly an hour had passed after Grien had confessed and still they had not found the Tiri the chambermaid. Ever since meeting Ziendriel, Legolas was beginning to think that his luck with finding a woman was fading.
He had sent Lorith, Jhad and Gragoc all in different directions in the palace, and more guards out into the woods. He hoped that with more men covering the grounds, the faster the maidservant would be found.
Footsteps entered the room, causing the prince to turn. Depa stood in the doorway, a wry smile on her face. "Yes, milord?" she asked, a questioning brow raised at him.
Legolas growled. "I am in no mood for games," he told her, motioning her in, "I do, however, need your help."
The servant merely bowed her head in agreement. "Yes, milord," she replied.
"Know you where the chambermaid named Tiri is?" he asked, his voice hard.
Surprise registered on the servant's face. "Tiri?" she repeated, puzzled, "No, milord. I assume she is going about doing her duties." What could the prince possibly want with her? She thought to herself.
"She is not." Again, the edge to his voice.
Depa thought for a moment, puzzled at the entire line of questioning, as well as the prince's attitude. She then said, "Have you tried Lady Adrianna Roseleaf? I do not know why, but as of late, I have often seen them in one another's company."
Legolas froze. "Lady Adrianna?" he repeated, trying to place her face. It suddenly clicked. "The daughter of one of my father's counselors?" he mused, and Depa nodded. The daughter of a nobleman and my father's chambermaid? He thought, Such an unlikely friendship! Aloud, he asked, "When was the last time you have seen either lady?"
Depa thought for a moment. "I saw Tiri about an hour ago," she answered, "I tried to speak with her, but she waved me off, saying she needed to take care of something. She looked troubled."
Legolas nodded. "Thank you, Depa," he said, dismissing her. He followed her out into the hallway, immediately heading down the staircase to the main floor. Just as he stepped from the last step, he was met by his three friends. Before they could say anything, he announced, "She may be with Lady Adrianna Roseleaf."
All three were puzzled as they followed him towards the tunnels that lead to the homes of the counselors. They kept glancing at one another as they moved down the passageway, following their friend. When they finally reached the door that led to the front hall of Lord Roseleaf's home, Legolas knocked once, then pushed open the door.
A servant nearly screamed as the prince came through the door, his mouth set in a grim line. He pointed to the frightened maidservant and demanded, "I wish to speak to Lady Adrianna."
Rwena, the frightened servant, squeaked, then fought to compose herself. "I-I am s-sorry, milord," she stammered, "B-But, Lady A-Adrianna is not h-here. Sh-She left quite awhile ago." She stepped away from him, his thunderous face further scaring her.
Jhad stepped forward at the look of frustration on his friend's face. "Did she speak with anyone before she left?" he asked, calmly.
At his tone, Rwena calmed down, then nodded. "A servant arrived to speak with her," she replied, "They began to argue, then mistress sent me to fetch her a map from her father's study; practically clawed it from me when I gave it to her. Mistress left with her shortly after that." She shook her head.
By now, Legolas was staring hard at her, making her nerves return. "This servant," he demanded, "Do you know who she is?"
"Yes, milord," Rwena answered, "It is your father's chambermaid, Tiri Amberwood." She watched as the prince and his companions exchanged grim glances.
"This map," Jhad continued, "Did your mistress take it with her?"
Rwena shook her head. "They argued over it for a bit, something about moving something," she replied, "But, mistress did not want to, from what I understand. Finally, mistress threw the map at Tiri and stormed out of the house. Tiri went after her. I picked up the map and returned it to the mistress' room."
"May we see this map?" Jhad ventured, then at the slight hesitation of the servant, added, "It is of great importance that we see this map."
Rwena further hesitated, then slowly nodded. "Of course, milord," she said, then motioned them up the staircase.
Upon reaching the second floor landing, they followed Rwena towards the end of the hall. She pointed to the closed door. "This is mistress Adrianna's room," she announced, pushing open the door. She walked in and over to the desk near the window. "This is the map," she said, handing it to Jhad.
He studied it for a moment, frowning. All it appeared to be was a large map of the kingdom, with several spots circled in red. Each was then numbered between one and two hundred, with several crossed off with a bright, red X.
"What is it?" Legolas asked, peering over his shoulder at the map.
Jhad shook his head. "I do not know exactly," he answered, truthfully, "It seems to be a different kind of map of the land. I cannot make heads or tails of it." He began to roll the map up, when his eyes caught something. "What is this?" he murmured, his eyes going to the vase that held a bouquet of flowers. His lean fingers sifted through the bright green stems, and pulled something from among them.
Legolas and the others gathered around Jhad, peering at the small item that he held. It was a small, short piece of wood, with one end carved smooth and round. The other was also carved, but like that of a seal. Jhad turned it over and glanced at Legolas.
It was the seal of King Thranduil.
A dangerous light blazed in Legolas' eyes. "Search the room!" he commanded. The others flew into action, each covering a corner of the room. He ushered Rwena out of the room, ordering her to send word to the king. He slammed the door close after her, the resumed with his search.
After a moment of true chaotic searching, it was Lorith who found the evidence that they needed. He found a small chest in the back of the lady's armoire, suspiciously locked. With a slight flick of his dagger, he was able to break the lock and immediately pulled out the contents within.
There were several blank parchments contained within it, the same that had been used for the forged scrolls. Along with them, they found a small block of wax and another of the king's seals, as well as a few pages of blotting paper. (A/N: Forgive me if there wasn't any blotting paper in Middle-Earth; with all the quills and ink they used, I thought that maybe there was a slight chance)
Legolas read one of the pages and felt his fingers freeze. Some of the phrases were the exact words found on the forged messages to the ladies, blotted carefully. He threw those aside for a moment and groped madly for some of the documents on Adrianna's desk. He happened upon an unfinished letter to a relative and compared the handwriting between the two.
After a moment, he let a slow, anger growl.
The handwriting matched.
Angrily, Legolas threw the papers down. "He lied to us!" he yelled, "That courier lied to us! Tiri is not behind this; Lady Adrianna is!" He stared furiously at his friends, who stood there with their mouths hanging slightly open. "He was protecting her!"
Jhad immediately jumped into action. "Bring that with us!" he ordered Lorith, pointing to the small chest, "We will need everything there in order to find the ladies!" He carefully rolled up the map in his hands and stuffed it into the chest as well. "The historians there will be able to understand it, no doubt," he explained to Legolas, "Now come! I fear we do not have much time."
Reluctantly, Legolas followed his friends out of the room and back downstairs. While the mistress of the house stared at them with curious eyes, they returned to the man hall through the tunnel.
"What was that all about?" Lady Roseleaf murmured to herself, truly puzzled.